The total hours flown and the number of aircraft departures by the major domestic and regional airlines are shown in graph 22.6. Hours flown in 2005 were 7.0% more than in 2001, while aircraft departures were 5.0% lower than in 2001.

In addition to domestic and regional scheduled services, activities undertaken by the general aviation industry include business flying, aerial agriculture, charter, training and private flying (graph 22.7). Charter, flying training and private/business activity accounted for 75% of general aviation hours flown in 2005.

ROAD TRANSPORT ACTIVITY

Motor vehicles travelled an estimated total distance of 199,055 million kilometres (km) in the year ended 31 October 2004, at an average of 15,500 km per vehicle (table 22.8). Business use accounted for an estimated 35% of aggregate distance travelled, and private use 65%. Of total private use travel, 34% consisted of travel to and from work, and 66% for personal and other use travel.

22.8 BUSINESS AND PRIVATE VEHICLE USE - Year ended 31 October 2004

Business

Private

Type of vehicle

Laden

Unladen

Total(a)

To and
from work

Personal and
other use

Total

TOTAL KILOMETRES TRAVELLED (mill.)

Passenger vehicles

. .

. .

31,618

37,627

78,483

147,728

Motor cycles

. .

. .

*173

*371

*934

1,478

Light commercial vehicles

15,844

6,044

21,899

*5,467

6,641

34,007

Rigid trucks

5,322

2,045

7,369

*170

*100

7,639

Articulated trucks

4,367

1,632

6,000

*12

*1

6,013

Non-freight carrying trucks

. .

. .

219

*1

**1

221

Buses

. .

. .

1,835

*42

*91

1,968

Total

25,533

9,722

69,113

43,690

86,252

199,055

AVERAGE KILOMETRES TRAVELLED(b) (’000)

Passenger vehicles

. .

. .

9.5

7.1

8.6

14.4

Motor cycles

. .

. .

*3.9

*3.3

*3.8

4.9

Light commercial vehicles

14.4

8.6

18.6

8.3

7.3

18.4

Rigid trucks

16.8

8.3

22.9

*5.9

*4.1

22.8

Articulated trucks

71.4

30.8

97.2

*7.5

*1.7

96.6

Non-freight carrying trucks

. .

. .

13.7

**2.4

**3.7

13.7

Buses

. .

. .

34.5

*7.1

*10.4

32.6

Total

17.2

9.7

13.8

7.2

8.4

15.5

(a) Includes business travel of non-freight carrying vehicles.(b) Average distance travelled for registered vehicles which were used.

The localities in which motor vehicles travelled are described in table 22.9. Only 4.9% of total distance travelled represented interstate trips, while 55% of trips were within the capital city of the state or territory in which the vehicle was registered.

22.9 AREA OF OPERATION - Year ended 31 October 2004

Within state/territory of registration

Type of vehicle

Capital city

Provincial urban

Other areas of state/territory

Total

Interstate

Australia

TOTAL KILOMETRES TRAVELLED (mill.)

Passenger vehicles

88,653

22,141

30,365

141,159

*6,569

147,728

Motor cycles

*618

*400

*337

1,355

*123

1,478

Light commercial vehicles

14,236

4,686

14,115

33,036

*971

34,007

Rigid trucks

3,679

1,155

2,499

7,332

*307

7,639

Articulated trucks

1,059

378

2,981

4,419

1,594

6,013

Non-freight carrying trucks

*110

*55

*51

217

**4

221

Buses

963

*397

512

1,871

*96

1,968

Total

109,319

29,211

50,860

189,390

9,665

199,055

AVERAGE KILOMETRES TRAVELLED(a) (’000)

Passenger vehicles

11.6

7.6

9.3

13.9

*6.5

14.4

Motor cycles

*3.9

*3.6

*3.2

4.5

*4.4

4.9

Light commercial vehicles

15.5

9.7

15.5

18.1

*7.4

18.4

Rigid trucks

22.5

15.6

16.3

22.2

*18.2

22.8

Articulated trucks

31.6

21.4

66.1

73.1

86.9

96.6

Non-freight carrying trucks

18.2

*16.4

*6.8

13.7

**12.1

13.7

Buses

29.4

*20.9

21.9

31.3

*24.7

32.6

Total

12.2

8.1

11.2

14.8

8.0

15.5

(a) Average distance travelled for registered vehicles which were used.

Personal travel occurs for many reasons, including school, business, recreation and travel to and from work. While road transport accounts for the majority of domestic passenger trips undertaken, rail services are used by a considerable number of urban commuters. Air services provide for a large proportion of long distance passenger travel.

Road passenger vehicle activity

In the year ended 31 October 2004 Australia's 10.7 million (mill.) registered passenger vehicles travelled an estimated 148 billion km (table 22.10), each averaging 13,900 km per year. Just over 392,600 motor cycles travelled 1.5 billion km, while the fleet of just under 62,000 buses travelled 2.0 billion km.

22.10 MOTOR VEHICLE USE, By state/territory of registration - 2004

Passenger vehicles

Motor cycles

Buses

TOTAL KILOMETRES TRAVELLED (mill.)

New South Wales

44,473

*356

603

Victoria

40,151

*319

343

Queensland

29,065

*517

*511

South Australia

11,379

*96

133

Western Australia

15,664

*142

231

Tasmania

3,233

*15

42

Northern Territory

1,002

*9

*73

Australian Capital Territory

2,762

*25

32

Australia

147,728

1,478

1,968

NUMBER OF VEHICLES(a)

New South Wales

3,273,408

108,071

19,022

Victoria

2,866,027

100,117

13,007

Queensland

1,995,114

86,197

13,510

South Australia

874,533

29,388

3,650

Western Australia

1,127,232

49,817

7,593

Tasmania

260,921

9,045

1,752

Northern Territory

70,369

3,128

2,366

Australian Capital Territory

186,725

6,885

828

Australia

10,654,328

392,648

61,728

(a) The average number of vehicles registered for the twelve months. Includes registered vehicles that did not travel during the reference period.

At 30 June 2005 three major domestic airlines operated in Australia - Qantas, Virgin Blue and Jetstar. Regional airlines provided connecting services to the regional airports. There are 256 regulated airports in Australia and its external territories.

Passenger departures were 7.6% higher in 2005, compared with 2004 (table 22.12), while the percentage of vacant seat-kilometres was steady at 21%. In 2005 domestic airlines accounted for 88% of total Australian domestic passenger departures, and regional airlines 12%.

22.12 DOMESTIC AIRLINE ACTIVITY(a)

Units

2004

2005

Passenger departures(b)

Domestic airlines

'000

33,133

35,895

Regional airlines

'000

4,720

4,841

Total

'000

37,853

40,736

Other activity (domestic airlines only)

Passenger-kilometres performed(c)

mill.

40,099

43,339

Seat-kilometres available(d)

mill.

50,843

55,059

Percentage of vacant seat-kilometres

%

21.1

21.3

(a) Includes estimates for regional airlines data.(b) The unit of measurement is traffic on board (which includes transit traffic). Includes revenue passengers only.(c) The sum for all flights of the number of passengers on each flight multiplied by the distance travelled.(d) The sum for all flights of the number of seats on a flight multiplied by distance travelled.

Source: Department of Transport and Regional Services.

The number of domestic passengers boarding airlines at the principal airports in Australia is shown in table 22.13. In 2005 all principal airports recorded increases in passenger movements compared with 2004. The strongest growth was recorded in Coolangatta (20%), followed by Launceston (18%) and Hobart (16%). Sydney and Canberra recorded the lowest growth (4%).

22.13 DOMESTIC PASSENGER MOVEMENTS(a)

2004

2005

Principal airport

'000

'000

Sydney

(b)18,256

(b)18,940

Melbourne

(b)15,815

16,505

Brisbane

(b)11,519

12,103

Adelaide

(b)4,844

(b)5,262

Perth

4,437

4,755

Canberra

(b)2,434

2,525

Hobart

(b)1,381

1,600

Darwin

(b)1,062

(b)1,111

Cairns

(b)2,583

2,843

Coolangatta

2,702

3,243

Townsville

1,057

1,138

Launceston

751

887

(a) The number of passengers on board arriving at or departing from each airport. Includes passengers in transit, who are counted as both arrivals and departures at airports through which they transit.(b) Includes estimates for unreported data.

Source: Department of Transport and Regional Services.

International air passenger activity

Passengers arriving or departing Australia primarily travel by air.

Of total international passengers (20.9 million) carried to and from Australia in 2005, 4.9 million travelled between Australia and New Zealand and 3.5 million travelled between Australia and Singapore (table 22.14).

22.14 SCHEDULED INTERNATIONAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC TO AND FROM AUSTRALIA - 2004

Inbound

Outbound

Total

Country to/from

'000 passengers

'000 passengers

'000 passengers

Argentina

17.7

17.7

35.4

Austria

91.2

96.0

187.2

Bahrain

53.2

54.1

107.3

Brunei

63.7

61.2

124.9

Canada

52.8

57.4

110.2

Chile

25.0

24.2

49.2

China (excl. SARs & Taiwan)

250.2

232.6

482.8

Cook Islands

0.4

0.6

1.0

Fiji

253.3

255.2

508.5

Germany

39.3

41.7

81.1

Guam

12.9

13.7

26.6

Hong Kong (SAR of China)

846.8

802.4

1,649.2

India

37.0

31.9

68.8

Indonesia

359.9

356.9

716.8

Japan

842.8

837.4

1,680.3

Korea, Republic of (South)

202.7

203.2

405.9

Malaysia

591.8

589.1

1,180.9

Mauritius

21.9

21.3

43.1

Nauru

3.9

3.8

7.7

New Caledonia

63.7

63.6

127.3

New Zealand

2,433.3

2,452.3

4,885.6

Papua New Guinea

66.1

67.7

133.8

Philippines

77.8

72.0

149.7

Singapore

1,773.7

1,699.5

3,473.2

Solomon Islands

12.6

12.1

24.7

South Africa

106.5

94.2

200.7

Tahiti

7.5

9.0

16.5

Taiwan

124.0

122.1

246.2

Thailand

429.3

424.9

854.2

Tonga

2.7

4.1

6.8

United Kingdom

370.5

382.1

752.6

United Arab Emirates

371.0

359.6

730.6

United States of America

789.6

787.0

1,576.6

Vanuatu

39.0

38.9

77.8

Vietnam

62.3

76.9

139.2

Western Samoa

6.4

7.7

14.1

Total

10,502.6

10,373.8

20,876.4

Source: Department of Transport and Regional Services.

Graph 22.15 shows the number of international passengers who travelled through each of Australia's international airports in 2005. Sydney's share of total international passenger traffic was 46%, followed by Melbourne (20%) and Brisbane (17%).

Unless otherwise noted, content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia Licence together with any terms, conditions and exclusions as set out in the website Copyright notice. For permission to do anything beyond the scope of this licence and copyright terms contact us.